Gate



J. M. SMITH GATE Filed Oct. 31, 1923 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 WWW WITNESS:

James /7J/m' ATTOR N EY WITNESS:

W \A zr J. M. SMITH GATE Jan. 1925- 1,522,392

Filed Oct. 51, 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Fi s NNNNNN OR Patented Jamfi, 1925.

UNITED STATES JAMES M. SMITH, OF LEV/ELLEN, NEBRASKA.

GATE.

Application filed. October 31, 1923.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMns M. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lewellen, in the county of Garden and State of Nebraska, have invented new and useful Improvements in Gates, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention has reference to improvements in farm or other gates, and has for its primary object to produce a gate of this character which is centrally pivoted on a suitable support so that the same, by its weight, will be automatically moved to latched position and which is designed to be elevated by the engagement of the wheels of a vehicle approaching the gate from either side thereof onto downwardly inclined tracks to cause the said gate to gravitationally move thereon to open position, similar contact members being arranged at the opposite sides of the gate engageable by the same vehicle for turning the tracks and again elevating the gate to permit of the same automatically moving to closed position.

A further object is to produce a gate which will be automatically open or closed by vehicles and which Will divide a roadway so that vehicles going in either direction will be forced to keep to the right hand side of said roadway.

To the attainment of the foregoing and other objects which will present themselves as the nature of the invention is better understood, reference is to be had to the drawings which accompany and form part of this application.

In the drawings Figure 1 is an elevation looking toward the improved gate and the operating mechanism therefor, the gate being in closed position. a

Figure 2 is a top-plan view thereof.

Figure 3 is a similar View, but showing the gate in open position.

Figure 4 is a sectional View on the line H of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a sectional view on the line 55 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of one of the contact shafts.

Figure 7 is a perspective View of one of the dog carrying rods.

Figure 8 is an elevation of the upper portion of one of the gate posts to illustrate the notched keeper thereon.

Serial No. 671,950.

Figure 9 is a perspective view of the ratchet wheel.

In the center of a roadway 1, I secure a longitudinally arranged channeled metal member 2. The member 2 has its sides flanged outwardly at their upper edges as indicated by the numerals 3. The member 2 provides a guide or a slide l. The slide is also of metal and is of a length approxi mately equal of that of member 2. The slide has its edges bent and flanged inwardly to underlie the flanges 3 and the guide 2 as indicated by the numerals 5. The slide 4 is centrally rovided with an elongated opening 6 that receives therethrough a metal rod or post 7 that is centrally secured in the guide 2.

The base of the post is provided with an enlargement 8 on which rests the hub 9 of a wheel 10. The wheel has its periphery formed with four equi-distantly spaced depressions. These depressions provide the wheel with teeth 11. The wheel is thus in the nature of a ratchet wheel.

Tntegrally formed on the upper face of the ratchet wheel 10 there is a pair of spaced tracks 12 and 13, respectively. The tracks are round in plan and are inclined downwardly from their diagonally opposed ends.

One of the teeth 11 of the wheel 10 is at all times engaged by the offset end 14 of one of a pair of oppositely disposed rods 16. The offset ends let provide the rods with dogs, and each of the said rods has its outer end bent angularly and received in aCbearing opening in the respective ends of the slide 4. Each dog is influenced toward the ratchet wheel 10 by a spring 16 Connected to the respective ends of the slide L are the offset ends 17 of the operating rods 18. The rods 18, of course, extend in opposite directions from the slide, each of the said rods has its outer end provided with an eye 19 engageable in a central rounded or looped portion 20 of the vehicle wheel contact members. Preferably each of the vehicle wheel contact members is formed from a single piece to include the central or looped portion 20 and right angularly disposed shafts 21 which extend from the inner end of the said portion 20. The shafts are journaled in suitable bearings 22 supported "in the roadway 1. Each shaft has its ends oppositely directed offset in opposite right angular direction as indicated by the numerals 23 and 24, re spectively, and said arms 23 and 24 merge into outwardly extending arms 25 and 26, respectively. By such construction it will be noted that when the arm 23 of one of the contact members is arranged in a vertical position, the second arm 24 thereof will be disposed in a horizontal position and in ground contact engagement. Further, by reference to the drawings, it will be seen that when the elements of the cont-act member atone side of the slide are thus arranged the elements on the diagonally opposed-side of the slide will be similarly arranged so that it is necessary that a vehicle assume its proper position on the right hand side of the roadway before the wheels thereof will be moved to properly engage the arms 25 and 26 of the respective contact members so that the slide may be moved on the guide and the dogs move by the contact members to turn the wheel 10.

At suitable points in a line with and at opposite sides of the post or rod 7 there is embedded in the roadway posts 27. Each post 27 has fixed tothe top thereof a centrally notched keeper 28. From its notch the upper edge of each keeper is preferably inclined downwardly, and these keepers are designed to engage pivoted latch bars 29 on the gate 30.

The gate is of a length approximately equal to the distance from the post 27 and when in closed position will fully close the roadway. The gate at the center thereof h'a's'its upper and lower bars provided with sockets 31-through which the rod or post 7 is received. The sockets are of metal, and the same are preferably formed at the center of metallic members 32 which receive therein the upper and lower gate bars. The pivoted latches 29 are limited in a downward swing by contacts 33 on the vertical end members of the gate.

The operation of the gate will, it is thought to be apparent, from the foregoing description when taken in connection with the drawings, assuming the gate to be in close position when a vehicle on the right hand side of the roadway approaches the gate. The forward wheel of the vehicle will contact with the outstanding arm 25 or 26 on the vertically arranged arm of the contact member nearest the said vehicle. This will impart a longitudinal movement of the rod 18' and a similar movement of the slide 4:. The movement of the slide causes one of the dogs 14 to'engage with one of the teeth of the wheel to turn the said wheel and likewise turn the tracks 10 which are integrally formed on the wheel. It should have been stated that the gate when in either closed or open position rests in the 'gapbetween the spaced tracks, the

movement of the wheel as just described will cause the gate to ride upwardly on the tracks and bring the latches 29 out of the keepers 28. The weight of the gate, on the opposite rear ends of the downwardly mclined tracks will cause the said gate to gravitate to a right angular position or m a line with the longitudinally arranged rods 19, and therefore in the center of the roadway so that the passagesto each side of the gate are clear. The turning of the first mentioned contact member by wheel engagement will cause the turning of the contact member on the opposite side of the gate so that the same will be raised and in path of engagement by the wheel of the vehicle traveling through the gate passageway. This contact member will be depressed and will move the rod 18 associated therewith in the opposite direction to that just described, conse quently moving the slide in the opposite direction and causing the second dog to further turn the ratchet wheel and likewisecause the gate to be elevated on the tracks associated with the said wheel. The gate will then gravitate to closed position. Preferably there is a stop element '34 engageable by the gate when the latter is in open posit on.

While I have herein set forth a satisfactory embodiment of my improvement as it now appears to me, it is to be understood that I do not wish to be restricted to the precise detailed construction herein set forth and hold myself entitled 'to all such changes therefrom as fairly fall within the scope of what Iclaim.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by LettersaPate'nt, 1s:-

1. Two opposed arcuate tracks having their active faces arranged at opposite downward angles, a gate centrally andslidably pivoted between the tracks and normally contacted thereby, a ratchettwheel associated with the tracks, spring influenced dogs therefor, a slide on which the dogs are pivoted, throw means spaced from the opposite ends of the slide but in a line therewith, means associated with the throw means and connected with the slide for moving the latter when the throw means are influenced to cause the dogs to turn the ratchet wheel and tracks to raise the gate on said tween the tracks and engaged thereby, pivoted latches on the ends of the gate, latch posts at the sides of the roadway engaged by the latches when the gate is in roadway closing position, a slide, spring influenced dogs carried thereby to engage the ratchet wheel, throw members at the opposite ends of the slide, each including a central looped portion having opposite angular shaft extensions journaled in bearings, arms arranged at right angles with respect to each other extending from the shafts, outwardly disposed contact arms on the last mentioned arms, and a rod pivotally secured to each loop of the throw member to the said ends of the slide, for the purpose set forth.

3. A channelled guide secured centrally and longitudinally in a roadway and having its sides flanged outwardly, a slotted slide having its edges provided with ways to receive the flanges of a guide therein, a rod centrally secured to the guide and extending vertically through the slot of the slide, a ratchet wheel journaled on the rod above the slide, oppositely arranged upstanding arcuate tracks on the ratchet wheel and having their upper active faces arranged at opposite downward angles, a gate centrally and freely journaled on the rod and normally disposed between and in contact with the tracks, latch posts on the sides of the roadway, latches on the ends of the gate engageable with the latch posts, a pivotally supported spring influenced dog at the ends of a slide for engagement with the ratchet wheel, a rod pivotally secured to the ends of the slide and extending outwardly therefrom, a throw member at the end of each rod, comprising each a central looped portion to which the rod is connected, oppositely extending shafts on the loop journaled in bearings on the roadway, arms at the ends of the shafts arranged right angularly with respect to each other, and outwardly extending throw arms on the ends of the last mentioned arms, and said throw arms being in the path of engagement with the wheels of vehicles, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I alfix my signature.

JAMES M. SMITH. 

